Newbury Companies

Joseph Chekanoff -

Custom WordPress Solution to Elevate Property Listings

Newbury Companies, a long-time partner of Chek Creative, approached us to develop a custom WordPress website that would enhance their property listings. As one of Chek Creative's first clients, Newbury Companies' website had to meet the growing needs of a dynamic real estate business while offering users a seamless experience. The goal was to create an engaging platform that would showcase their communities and locations, along with providing enhanced functionality for property tours and searches.

Website: WordPress
Purpose: To enhance the Newbury Companies property listing experience with custom post types, 3D tours, and a powerful search engine.

Challenges

Newbury Companies had a broad portfolio of properties that needed a more customized web presence. The challenges included:

  • Limited Flexibility: The existing website didn’t offer the flexibility to efficiently display a wide variety of properties and locations.
  • 3D Tour Integration: Newbury Companies wanted to offer 3D tours of their properties but didn't have a functional solution within the existing platform.
  • Enhanced Search Functionality: The search capabilities were not intuitive or detailed enough for users to easily find and explore properties.

These challenges prompted the need for a custom WordPress solution that could handle complex post types, integrate interactive 3D tours, and deliver a powerful search experience.

Our Approach

Chek Creative chose WordPress for Newbury Companies' website due to its flexibility and robust plugin ecosystem, which allowed us to build out the necessary custom features. The focus was on creating a user-friendly interface that would enable visitors to navigate properties with ease.

Key Decisions:

  • Custom Post Types: We created custom post types for "Communities" and "Locations," giving the team control over how each property type was displayed.
  • 3D Tour Integration: We developed specialized templates to incorporate 3D tours of properties, enhancing user engagement.
  • Enhanced Search: A custom search functionality was built to allow visitors to filter through properties based on specific criteria such as location, community type, and amenities.

Tools & Integrations:

  • ACF Pro: For managing custom fields and creating complex layouts.
  • WP Search Plugins: To improve search and filtering capabilities.
  • Matterport: Integrated to provide immersive property tours.

Design & User Experience

For the Newbury Companies website, the focus was on creating an intuitive and visually appealing user experience. We ensured the site was mobile-first and fully responsive, as many users would be browsing the property listings on mobile devices.

  • UI Design: Clean and modern layouts that highlight the properties and their features.
  • 3D Tour Interaction: The interactive 3D tours were designed to be accessible and immersive, allowing users to explore properties from the comfort of their homes.
  • Search Filters: The enhanced search functionality was designed to be intuitive, with easy-to-use filtering options for visitors to narrow down their search.

Development Process

The development process involved building a custom WordPress theme and configuring it with advanced features:

  • Custom Themes & Templates: Created for the property listings and 3D tours.
  • Paired Programming: Collaborating with Newbury's team to ensure the website met their specifications and business goals.
  • Search Optimization: A major milestone was the integration of the enhanced search feature that could handle complex queries.

Technologies & Frameworks:

  • WordPress
  • ACF Pro for custom fields
  • Custom Post Types for Communities and Locations

Results & Impact

The custom-built WordPress website for Newbury Companies resulted in a more engaging, functional, and flexible platform for showcasing properties.

  • Increased User Engagement: The interactive 3D tours helped increase engagement and time spent on the site, as users could virtually explore properties before scheduling a visit.
  • Improved Search Functionality: The enhanced search feature led to a more satisfying user experience, making it easier for visitors to find the perfect property.
We have been working with Joe for over 10 years and he has always been very responsive and done a great job. He quickly grasps our goals and needs and then finds practical solutions. I would definitely recommend him.
Steve N.

Next Steps / Ongoing Improvements

We continue to partner with Newbury Companies for ongoing updates and improvements to their website. Future updates will focus on enhancing the search functionality even further, adding new interactive elements, and improving the user experience with faster load times and additional features.